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Sep 7, 2016 By Joe Carei for The 4 min read

We have one last shot at making your kitchen ingredients very locally sourced from your own outdoor garden.

As the days get shorter, so does your opportunity to use your garden to grow one more time. Although the variety will be limited to mainly lettuces and leafy greens, you will still get the satisfaction of homegrown items gracing your table in early fall. If you act fast and use some ingenuity, you may also reap a harvest of broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower and cabbage.

The best thing to grow is the turnip greens, spinach, arugula and bibb lettuces. The seeds germinate better in the cooler weather and lends to a sweeter leaf when growing. Take advantage of the fast growth by harvesting the outer leaves as they grow. These plants grow from the inside out and will grow faster with regular trimming: use trimmed leaves in your salads and cooking. These lettuces thrive in a well-watered, loose soil bed.

You can also add pep to your salads with chives and radishes, which have an affinity for growing late summer or fall. Radishes grow quickly, and you can grow a bunch in a small area. Chives are twofold; they are hearty, and if planted among your lettuces and radishes, it will help repel some pests that may ravage your garden.

If you are ambitious, you will get away with planting some broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. To ensure a proper harvest, you may have to use some manipulative growing tricks. Most involve raising the temperature of the growing area. Windbreaks/walls, cloches, cold frames and raised beds can aid in this.

Planting along a southfacing wall or windbreak can raise the temperature of your bed almost 10 degrees. Cloches, French for bells, are bell-shaped covering for plants in cold weather. You can cut yours out of clear plastic soda or ½ to gallon size bottles.

Make sure they are removed during warm weather and in ground tight during windy weather. Cold frames are slanted structures usually made from old window sashes.

The frame is sloped to the south and built so glass is 12-18 inches above ground. Remove or open glass during warm weather. A raised bed will provide about a 8-10 degree increase in your soil temperature. Also, old tires provide a good raised garden, the black rubber absorb heat and serves as a heat insulator. Of course, if you have the space and wearwithal, a greenhouse is your best bet for an extended fall garden.

Good luck and good eating.

Tonight, the Lafayette Garden Project will be covering late summer gardening and will have some food samples from Dr. McCarthy’s Kitchen. Dr. McCarthy’s Kitchen is a farm to table restaurant located in nearby Hopwood. They use local ingredients and products to enhance their menu. The garden located behind Lafayette School on Connellsville Street is a community garden used to promote home growing, healthy eating and community cooperation. The public is invited, and the event will start at 6:30pm.

Radish and chive soup

Bunch of radishes, about one pound

2 medium potatoes(russet or Yukon gold) diced

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup heavy cream

1 medium onion chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

Salt and pepper

¼ cup butter

Bunch of chives chopped

Coarsely chop radishes, sweat in butter with onions. When almost soft add garlic and sweat a little more. Add stock along with potatoes and simmer until potatoes are cooked. Puree soup in blender or process. Add cream and ½ of the chives simmer and adjust with salt and pepper. Note: soup will be pink. Garnish with sour cream and rest of chives if desired.

Spinach/Arugula Pesto

Cup cleaned fresh spinach

Cup cleaned fresh arugula

¼ cup fresh basil or parsley

3 clove garlic

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup walnuts or pine nuts toasted and chopped

¼ cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

In processor or blender, mix greens, herbs and garlic. Add olive oil and process until not quite a puree. Fold into nuts and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss in pasta, add to salad dressings or soups, spread on crackers or toast.

It will keep for a few weeks in refrigerator. Use any type of delicate greens for this recipe.